Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording medium and a method of manufacturing the same.
Discussion of the Background
A particulate magnetic recording medium (described simply as a “magnetic recording medium” hereinafter) has a magnetic layer containing at least ferromagnetic powder and binder on a nonmagnetic support. Signals are normally recorded on and reproduced from a magnetic recording medium by running the magnetic recording medium within a drive and causing the surface of the magnetic recording medium (surface of the magnetic layer) to contact (slide against) a magnetic head. By reducing the size of the particles constituting the ferromagnetic powder that is contained in the magnetic layer, it is possible to reduce noise in the course of reproducing a signal that has been magnetically recorded on a magnetic recording medium, thereby enhancing the electromagnetic characteristics (signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)). In this regard, for example, paragraph 0024 of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 2012-38367, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes reducing the average plate surface diameter of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder (referred to as hexagonal ferrite magnetic powder in the above publication) from the perspective of noise reduction.